The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-06-16
BETWEEN TWO STOOLS,

commotion. Mr.. Wcstlcy, the owner of
Westley Grange, had come pretty nearly
to the end of his tcther. lie had but
lately succeeded to the estate, and it had
come to him very heavily encountered /;
and now, with reduced rents, irrcgularly
p id, he found it impossible to 60 on.
He had, therefore, determine to spend a
couple of years on the continent, during
which time he hoped that the agricul-
tural depression would pass away.
The establishment at the hall was not
large one by any means for country
bachelor squire, but it was larger than
he could afford to keep up under exist
ing circumstances. So one evening he
called his servants together and told them
how matters were with him, bidding
them seek other situations at once.
His personal servant Ben Biggins,
was not included in the general dismis-
sal, but was destined to accompany his
master abroad. Ben was one of those
men not unfrequently met with in this
country-a man who could turn his
hand to most things, though he might
be no good at any. The position he
held at Westley Grange was a cross be-
tween valet and gamekceper, but at
odd times he had been known to cook
his masters dinner and make his mas
tcr's bed. This was during a grou sing
expedition on the Welsh hills, but tho
rumor of it hal travelled to Wcstlcv.
Ben was in high spirits when he wa,
tod of the journey in store for him.
"Pll teach these foreigners thing o,
two," he said to the cook one night; to
which she replied: you be very care.
full, Mr. Ben, that they don't teach yor
more than you teach them"
'Themr' he cried; 'them teach me,
Why, could wallop the lot of 'em, if
wanted to-"
"Then you mind you don't want to, y
she answered.
"Why you knows very WELL" con-
tinued Ben, ''that l set your watch
a-going after James, the matchmaker
had it a month, and couldn't make
nothing of it; and stopped the blu,
bedroom chimbly smoking, when tn,
smoke had nearly druv you all out o
the place"
"Rubbish!" she said. "Thc wa,cl
only wanted winding; and as for thu
chimbly, it smoked because there wa
bag of straw in it. You needn't crov
over them things, young man."
Yes, there was little i!l.feeling o,
the part of the cook toward Ben. Sh,
had claimed him for her own originally
but Ben had fought shy; and lattcrly h,
had been paying good deal of atten-
tion to Anna, the houscmaid at th
rectory. Either fault alone, on Ben
part, would have made the cook some
what aggrievcd toward him, but tn
two combined were moro than culinar
flesh and blood could stand. Thus j
happened that her tongue had an acccs
of acerbity when moving at Ben.
Down at the rcctory the commotio,
was nearly as general. The servants dis
cussed the situation from morning til
night, and Anna received many unpleas
ant jeers.
''Stick to your! said the coachman
"not he. Them sort never stick to moth
ing but their baccy. When you say
good by to Ben, you says good-by for
ever. my lass"
''He can please himself" she said; bu
if he thinks shall die broken-hearte
because he takes on with some foreig
girl, he's very much mistook."
THAT'S always the way with yo
women-folk. You talks as big as big
and when it comes to, you doubles u
to nothing. There was that gal o. Sil
mond's-her as kept company with tn,
keeper fellow. Look how her brazene
it out when they found he'd left vii
in Wales, and her died of consumptio
in less than a year.
"But Ben and mes different" sal
Anna. '1f he's not in earnest no mol
aren't l." Which was perhaps consola
tory.
The time slipped rapidly by, and
wanted but dsY till Ben and bis ma